January 10, 2024
Nneka Onuorah Inks First-Look Deal With Amazon MGM Studios
Emmy Award-winning director Nneka Onuorah is proud to announce her first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
Emmy Award-winning director Nneka Onuorah has inked a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
On Tuesday, Jan. 9, the studio announced its exclusive first-look TV and film deal with “Lizzo’s Watch Out For the Big Grrrls” director, Variety reports. Onuorah, 36, joins Amazon Studios after winning a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program for her work on Lizzo’s documentary.
“It’s an honor to be a part of the creative fabric of what Jen and her team are building at Amazon,” Onuorah told Deadline.
“I’m proud of the groundbreaking stories that we’re already telling together, and excited to continue my artistic journey into scripted series and films with Amazon as well.”
Amazon cites Onuorah’s award-winning work and notability that ignited following her directorial debut, “The Same Difference,” about gender roles in the Black lesbian community. The Nigerian-American filmmaker, producer, and activist is regarded for her commitment to telling stories that amplify underrepresented communities.
“Nneka has a track record of crafting stories that excite, intrigue, and inspire,” Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of television, said. “This is a process we’ve been fortunate to experience firsthand, and we cannot wait to reignite our professional relationship under this formal deal.”
Onuorah further celebrated the new deal after announcing the big news on Instagram.
“Oh you know it’s about to be some amazing ground-breaking stuff coming your way,” she wrote in her caption. “Beyond excited for this partnership with Amazon. The very best is yet to come like you’ve never seen it before.”
Onuorah’s recent directorial work was twice nominated for “Outstanding Documentary” at the GLAAD Media Awards, including 2017’s “The Same Difference” and 2022’s “The Legend of the Underground,” produced by John Legend about Nigerian youth who challenge their country’s discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws.
The Queens natives’ other credits include Netflix’s prison-themed “First and Last,” Viceland’s “Black-,” queer-focused “My House,” and ”The G Word,” produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions.